Internal-combustion engine.



D. H. ROBEY. INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGlNE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR Patented ,my 17, 1917.

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l l v .fl DUDLEY H. ROBEY, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

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Application led March 6,

To all whom t mag/concern.'

Be it known that I, DUDLEY H. ROBEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, Marion county, and State of Indiana, have invented and discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to internal combustion engines and its object is to provide a valve mechanism of a construction that will produce a minimum amount of friction, that will prevent carbonization of the valve in its seat; that will avoid the necessity of regrinding the valves; 4that will permit of the employment of ports of large area; that will provide for a positive driving action of the valves and that will obtain the advantages of the sleeve valve type of motor while at the same time greatly reducing the friction due to such type as heretofore employed, obviating the necessity of the careful machining of the valve and also providing a straight line driving connection for the valves and enabling the necessary close fit between the valve and its wall to be obtained by means of rings instead of by direct contact between the valve and such wall and also enabling the surface of the valve to be protected against the gases,

and thedheat and flame of the explosions.

With these objects and others in view,

my invention is embodied in preferable form in the construction and arrangement hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In these drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through an explosion cylinder crank case and an intake and an exhaust valve for such cylinder, the section being taken through the ports; Fig. 2, a top plan view showing a part thereof in 'section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3,

an enlarged vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4, an enlarged vertical section on the line 4%-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates the cylinders of a four-cycle internal combustion engine, the improvements herein being shown as applied to a four cylinder engine, although it will be obvious that they are equally applicable to an engine having a greater or less number of cylinders. 2 indicates the piston in the explosion cylinder, 3 the connecting rod and 4: the main `Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 1'?, 1917.

1916. Serial No. 82,412.

shaft. On this main shaft is a ed to mesh with gears 6 and shafts 8 and 9 respectively, which shafts are provided with suitable cranks to which are pivoted a series of connecting rods 10 and 11 on each side of the main shaft.

Each rod 10 is pivoted at its upper end to a hollow sleeve valve 12 which valve is 4mounted in a cylinder 13, preferably formed as part of the casting which includes the explosion cylinders. The sleeve valve 12 constitutes the common exhaust valve for a pair of cylinders and controls the exhaust from each cylinder in the order of the usual succession of operations of the respective cylinders according to the usual time of explosions therein. To this end the shaft 8 makes one revolution to two revolutions of the main engine shaft.

The sleeve valve is provided on its periphery at suitable intervals with ordinary piston packing rings 14 which bear against the wall of the cylinder in which the valve is mounted and the use of which is rendered possible owing to the separation of the valve from the main explosion chamber and the fact that the gases pass through the wall of the valve at an angle to the longer axis thereof and that the valve is driven from a center immediately below the center of the valve. 4

Projecting downwardly within the valve is a fixed pipe or sleeve 15 between the outer surface of which and the wall of the valve cylinder 13 the valve is adapted to slide, by which arrangement the surface of the valve throughout its length is protected gear 5 adapt- `from the direct contact of the flame and plosion cylinders of each pair, and this port communicates by a downwardly arched and laterally curved passageway 18 with the upper end of one of the explosion chambers. A simlailower exhaust port 19 is provided in the wall of the valve cylinder carried by and communicates by an upwardly arched and laterally curved passageway 20 with the upper end of the explosion chamber of the other cylinder of said pair.

In the exhaust pipe or casing 15 are formed upper and lower exhaust ports 21 and 22 respectively which are directly opposite `and. adapted to register with the ports 17 and 19 respectively ofthe valve cylinder. The single port 16 of the sleeve valve is adapted to establish communication alternately between. .the ports 17 and21 ,and 19 and 22 respectively for the purpose of permitting the escape of the exhaust in due `succession and alternately from the cylinders of one of the pairs of explosion units, .whereby the vexhaust gases will be led laterally through the wall of -tlie sleeve valve into the chamber of -thevexhaust pipe. The Aexhaust pipe or casingl communicates at its upper end with an exhaust manifold 23.

On the opposite side or' the pair of cylin- Yders'is lmounted an inlet sleeve valve cylinder 25 having ,therein an inlet sleeve valve ,26 providedawith packing rings 27 l and adapted :to reciprocate between the wall of `said cylinder and a cylindricalprotective intake conduit pipe '28 which communicates at its upper end with an intake manifold 29,

the construction `and operation of said intake` valve 'being identical with that of the -exhaust valve above described. This intake valve is u.also common to both cylinders of a `pair land is fprovided with a single port which is adapted to be brought successively into register Ywith upper and lower pairs of 'intake ports Jformed in the cylinder wall and intakev pipe respectively, whereby intake communication is established alteriilately with each of the explosion cylinders of a pair of such units.

With the Yabove construction, a single intake valve and a single exhaust valve are employed for each pair of cylinders, and these valves are protected against the heat and yflame in the explosion cylinders owing to the fact that they are separated by their cylinder walls from such explosion cylinder, and that the gases are forced to travel laterally or horizontally through the ports into the inner protecting casing. It is also clear that the ports may be made of large f,k area and such area may be increased beyond ythat shown inthe drawings by further increasing the vertical length of the ports and 4increasing the length of stroke of the valve rods. f c

k'The valves are timed to operate in accordancewith the usual order of succession` of the firing, voperations of the respective cylinders in a "manner well known.

- Y'Having thus described my invention,what A'I claim is:

exhaust, intake and compression 1. In anV internal combustion engine, in

combination with "a pairof explosion cylinders, a reciproca-ble sleeve valve common to `said cylinders, a cylinder common to and ter with said. cylinder ports.

2.*.In an internal combustion engine, in combination with arpair of explosion cylinders, a sleeve valve lcommon to both cylinders, a valve cylinder separate from said cylinders and parallel .thereto and in which said valve is mounted forreciprocation, said valve cylinder having` ytwo ports the centers yof which are lopposite the center line between the two cylinders and which are spaced lapart vertically with one directly above and in line with the other and cominunicating respectively 'with said explosion cylinders bv passageways respectively downwardly an .upwardly arched jand laterally curved, and said valve having a single circumferential port lalso opposite said center line adapted .to communicate alteriiately with said ports leading to the extplosion chambers.

In an internal combustion engine, in combination with a pair of explosion cylinders, a reciprocable sleeve valve common to both A cylinders, a valve cylinder separate -communicatewith the respective explosion cylinders, said valve having a single circumferential port adapted to alternately register with said pairs of ponts, packing rings on the outer periphery of said sleeve valve vand positive driving means for said valve having the driving center thereof in line with the center of the valve.

4L.' In an internal combustion engine, in combination with a pair of explosion cylinders, a single exhaust-'controlling ysleeve valve common to both explosion cylinders, a

:single common inlet-controlling sleeve valve, .separate cylinders for said valves located on .opposite sides of the explosion cylinders and between their medial lines, each ot said -valve cylinders having a pair of vertically spaced ports communicating with .respective explosion cylinders at the same relative points and having passagcways irespectively :downwardly and upwardly arched and laterally curved to establish such comlnunicamy hand and seal at Indianapolis, IndianaT tion, each of said valves having a single this 4th day of March, A. D. nineteen hunport, and all of said ports being in vertical dred and sixteen.

alinement and having their centers opposite DUDLEY H. ROBEY. [1.. s.] the vertical center line between the eXpl0- Witnesses: sion cylinders. H. P. DooLITTLE,

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set A. C. RICE.

lllopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patente, Washington, D. U. 

